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R: John Carroll, Dick Harter, Lester Conner and Frank Vogel |
Have you ever watched a Celtics game and wondered why the Celtics run a
play the way they do? Or how the team prepares for a particular
opponent? Have you ever had a question that only the men on the bench
could answer? Celtics.com and Celtics Insider gave you the
opportunity to ask any one of the Celtics assistant coaches a question.
See how they answered some of your quesitons.
How much do you work on foul shooting with the players?
Billy, Buffalo, NY
Lester Conner: We work on foul shooting everyday. We just
finished a session where they had to make 50 foul shots before they left
the practice facility. So after every after practice, we are shooting
foul shots -- even though sometimes it may not appear to be so. We can
go four, five games in row where we shoot 82, 83 percent. And then we
have games like the Lakers game where Paul
Pierce misses his first five. People on the outside looking in
may not think we practice them, but we do. Regularly.
What would you say are the biggest differences from last year?
Jonathan, Northbridge, MA
Dick Harter: You have to start with the defensive effort. That's
been so much better. The style of play has changed dramatically from one
of a full court press to one that defends the half court. I think that
the ball has moved very well. But I wasn't here last year, so I am
going by what I saw on TV last year and what I see now.
John Carroll: The biggest difference was that we were able to
take the whole group into camp and spend a month before the season
started getting them all on the same page. In addition to that, we're
made some great additions to the team. Having (Tony)
Battie and (Kenny)
Anderson healthy has also made a difference.
How do the Celtics decide if they will use a zone or a man-to-man
defense?
Cathy, Boston, MA
Frank Vogel: You have to have a zone to practice, which we do
not. Coaches that use zones are usually trying to take advantage of a
weakness in an opponent's offense -- like if we did not have a lot of
shooters and they packed in a zone so that we would have trouble going
inside. Or you do it to hide a liability and you are trying to stop, for
example, a Shaquille
O'Neal. You choose to give up the perimeter rather than let
Shaq score 50 on you. Also, some coaches feel a zone is less tiresome on
a player's legs.
It seems like the Celtics often opt to shoot three-pointers when
they may be better off driving to the basket and maybe getting fouled.
Why is that?
Nate, Tampa Bay, Fla.
Lester Conner: One of the things that we teach is that when we
have wide open threes, we look at them like lay ups because we have such
good three-point shooters. We do not try to hinder our guys from taking
shots. We like to take good shots, just like we like taking good
three-point shots. Our guys also have a tendency to try and take lay ups
against someone like (Dikembe)
Mutombo, which is just as bad as trying to take a three with
someone jumping in front of you. If they have a wide open three, we
encourage that.
Frank Vogel: Lay ups are not always available. A lot of
defenses are predicated on protecting the paint first and leaving the
perimeter open. We have built our team around having five shooters on
the floor at all times -- whether they be all three-point shooters or
four with a center who can shoot 18-footers. The best offense we have is
when Paul and Antoine are in the low post. The only way teams can stop
that is by double-teaming them, and when they do that, they leave guys
open on perimeter. The best offense at that point is not for Paul to go
1-on-2 or 1-on-3, it is for him to reverse the ball to a wide-open
three-point shooter. We don't ever tell our players to take contested
threes, but wide-open threes are welcome at all times.
NBA teams seem to have so many assistant coaches. How do the
Celtics assistants break up the assigments?
Mark, New York, NY
Dick Harter: Each team has a varying amount of assistants.
There are some teams that have as little as two or three, and there are
some that seem to have eight or nine. What they do is usually up to the
head coach.
Frank Vogel: Every team is different. As far as we go, I have
a very video-orientated role because that is my background. Coach Harter
has a defense-orientated role, as well as John Carroll, while Lester has
a offensive role. After every game, Coach Conner will study the offense
and Coach Harter will study the defense. Coach Carroll, because of his
background in scouting, is mainly in charge of preparing the team.
The Celtics seem to have a lot of success going with a smaller
lineup, playing Rodney
Rogers at the center position. Why don't the Celtics use that
lineup more often?
Christine, Foxboro, MA
Dick Harter: We have gone that way an awful lot, but just
because some things work against some teams doesn't mean they will work
against others. I think that to buy into one lineup, because of size or
whatever, is not the way to go.
How do the coaches decide who will get the ball in a last-second
shot situation?
George, Andover, MA
Lester Conner: It all depends on who is on the floor. A lot of
times, we draw up a play for one of the superstars. But they might be
covered and not get the shot. You have to have some counters. You know
by the flow of game -- if Antoine is going well, we will draw up a play
for him. And the same goes for Paul. We have done both. In Miami in
November, we drew up a play for Paul for a last second shot and he wins
the game. In New York, we drew up a play for Antoine and he knocked down
a big three.
Frank Vogel: Coach O'Brien draws the plays up to give our
best scorers the best opportunity to score. If they are shut off, then
there are always three or four others who have an opportunity. Eric
Williams hit a shot to win the game against the Knicks at home,
for example. Every end-of-the-game play has multiple options, as many as
five or six options in a 10-second play.
